Good Guys And Bad Guys

It's All The Same

So much alike, yet so different; that pretty much sums up these '65 Chevelles. Although both appear to be basically stock, there are differences, both obvious and not so.

Starting with the obvious, it's easy to see that Mark Mahood's '65 is a drop-top and Wendell Pittman's is a hardtop. Incidentally, Wendell happens to be Mark's right-hand man at Mahood's Auto Collision in Stanton, California. What you'll find if you study the cars is that each possesses its own unique attitude and style.

Mahood's '65 Chevelle SS started life in Mark's shop as a ground-up restoration for a customer, who had the numbers-matching 327 four-speed car 15 years prior to dropping it off at Mahood's. The original intent was to restore the A-Body as it would have rolled off the assembly line. Upon completion of the car, the customer decided he didn't want the car anymore, on account that he had bought too many cars. Knowing the car was rare and freshly restored, Mark decided he'd buy it. From there, True Connections 2-inch drop spindles with cut coils lower the car by 4 inches down in the front, and by 6 inches in the rear. To help bring out the PPG Red paintjob, Budnik 17x8 Famosa wheels were bolted up to all four corners. Other than that, the drop-top cruiser is bone-stock with a few OEM repop products, such as the red vinyl interior from True Connections.

On Wendell's car, the focus shifts in another direction. Much like Mark's car, Wendell's 350-powered Chevelle appears to be mostly stock, aside from a few odds and ends. What sets Wendell's car apart from its red counterpart, however, is its attitude. The deep gloss black finish reveals a more sinister side to the stock '65 bodylines. Adding to the ominous look of Pittman's hardtop, the car rides just inches off the ground at all times. Up front, the Chevelle has been brought down by 6 inches, and out back by 8 inches. With the car slammed on the ground, the 16-inch Americans are jammed up into the wheelwells. If this were a movie, we imagine that in this situation the good guy might pull up in the bright red drop-top cruiser, while the bad guy would step out of the long and low black hardtop.